The Case for American Power | Shadi Hamid
The Middle East Policy Forum looks forward to hosting Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid for a discussion about his new book The Case for American Power.
An acclaimed author, Shadi Hamid makes an urgent and deeply personal argument for why American dominance, despite its many flaws, remains the world’s best hope. Hamid traces his journey from opposing America’s role in the world to reluctantly embracing it—while grappling with how recent events, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, have challenged his convictions.
Drawing on his unique perspective as both an American and a Muslim who came of age in the shadow of the September 11 attacks, Hamid contends with the contradictions of American power: how a nation founded on moral purpose so often fails to live up to its ideals. Hamid confronts head-on America’s failures, from the war in Iraq to support for authoritarian regimes across the Middle East. Yet, he argues that in a world where power is a fact and someone must wield it, the alternative to American leadership isn’t a morally perfect superpower—it’s the brutal authoritarianism of countries like China and Russia.
At once idealistic and pragmatic, this book is about embracing our power as the only moral option in a world beset by tragedy. Because America is a democracy, it retains the potential to correct past mistakes and create change for the better. That part is up to us. Bracing and timely, The Case for American Power is an ambitious work on what may be the most fundamental question facing America today: How should we think about the power we have—while we still have it?
We hope you will join Shadi Hamid and discussant Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray for this conversation about Hamid’s provocative case for why a better world is only possible with American power. You can participate in this conversation in-person or virtually. The event is open to the public and the media. If you would like to purchase a copy of Shadi Hamid’s new book, copies will be available for sale at the event.
Speaker
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Shadi Hamid is a columnist at The Washington Post, where he focuses on culture, religion and foreign policy. He is also a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Previously, he was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Hamid is the author of several books, including most recently, “The Case For American Power.” His book “Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World” was short-listed for the 2017 Lionel Gelber Prize for best book on foreign affairs. In 2019, Hamid was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers by Prospect magazine. He is also the co-founder of “Wisdom of Crowds,” a podcast, newsletter and debate platform. Hamid received his B.S. and M.A. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and his PhD in political science from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.
